In 1807, David Thompson - renowned fur trader, surveyor, map-maker and colonizer, was tasked by the North West Company to open up a trading route to the lucrative trading territories of the Pacific Northwest - first crossed over the Rocky Mountains and travelled along the Blaeberry River to the future site of Golden. In 1881 the CPR hired surveyor A.B. Rogers to find a rail route through the Selkirk and Rocky Mountains, and in 1882 he found the pass, used by indigenous people for millenia, now named for him. Rogers established a base camp for his survey crew led by a man named McMillan. Initially known as McMillan's Camp, the settlement was the beginning of the town of Golden. By 1884, in response to a nearby lumber camp naming itself Silver City, the residents of McMillan's Camp, headed by Baptiste Morigeau, decided not to be outdone and renamed the settlement Golden City. The 'city' designation was later dropped. Much of the town's history is tied into the Canadian Pacific Railway and the logging industry. Today, the town's economy still relies heavily on those two influences, but the development of Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, along with other outdoor adventure companies, has allowed the town to diversify into tourism. Mount 7, which is just southeast of town, is popular with paragliding, hang gliding, and mountain biking enthusiasts. The town forms part of the Golden Trianglecycle route. Kicking Horse Pedestrian Bridge is the longest freestanding timber frame bridge in Canada. Planned as a community project by the Timber Framers Guild, volunteers from Golden were joined by carpenters and timber framers from the United States and from Europe. The bridge structure is long, with a 210,000-pound Burr arch structure. The bridge was completed in September 2001. On March 26, 2009, then-Mayor Aman Virk died suddenly of complications after suffering a heart attack while vacationing in India.
Golden has a climate with influences of the humid continental and semi-arid varieties. Summers are warm but rarely hot, with winters being somewhat moderated in comparison to areas east of the Rockies. Annual snowfall is heavy, averaging 62.5 inches.
Economy
Golden has a service-based economy, relying heavily on tourism and services for tourists. Unlike many other Canadian towns with similar population size, Golden boasts nine automobile repair shops that all offer a wide range of services and are open extended hours. Golden also features a large number of hotels with mountain views that provide accommodation to both tourists and stranded drivers.
